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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · drill · leaves · wound · prune · mug · craft · mate

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. mug — a face
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mate — to breed
  9. craft — boats
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — a partner
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com